Felines

Photo by: Eric Isselée

Felines, generally known as cats, are mammals in the family Felidae of the
order Carnivora. Cats are the most carnivorous of all meat-eating animals.
The predatory instinct in wild cats can be seen in the domestic cats, for
even well-fed domestic cats will hunt mice and birds. Members of the cat
family occur naturally in all parts of the world, except Australia and
Antarctica.

The cat family includes both big cats (lions, tigers, and leopards) and
small cats (lynx, servals, and ocelots). Small cats purr but do not roar,
whereas big cats roar but do not purr. The reason for this difference is
that the tongue muscles of large cats are attached to a pliable cartilage
at the base of the tongue, which allows roaring. In contrast, the tongue
muscles of small cats are attached to the hyoid bone, which allows
purring, but not roaring.

Most cats have 30 teeth, including large canine and carnassial teeth, and
few cheek teeth. This arrangement is well suited to crushing bones and
tearing, cutting, and gripping prey. Cats' jaws are limited to
vertical movements, and their chewing action is aided by sharp projections
on the tongue (papillae) that grip and manipulate food.

Evolution and history

Modern cats first appeared about 25 million years ago. One of the earliest
members of the family was the saber-toothed tiger, which lived in Europe,
Asia, Africa, and North America. This cat had long, upper canine teeth for
stabbing its prey. The remains of saber-toothed tigers have been found to
be as recent as 13,000 years old.

Cats were first domesticated in ancient Egypt about 5,000 years ago. The
Egyptians used cats to protect grain supplies from rodents. They also
worshiped cats and mummified large numbers of them along with their
owners. Since that time, the domestic cat has spread throughout Europe,
Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Breeding of cats into specific pedigrees
did not begin, however, until the middle of the nineteenth century.

Senses

Cats have excellent binocular (involving the use of both eyes) eyesight,
which allows them to judge distances. Cats cannot see in complete
darkness, but need at least dim light in order to distinguish objects at
night. Cats' eyes have a special reflective layer behind the
retina. This layer allows light that has not been absorbed on its first
pass through the retina to stimulate the retina a second time, providing
good vision in poor light. It is this layer that makes cats' eyes
appear to glow in the dark when a light flashes on them.

The senses of smell and taste in cats are closely connected, as they are
in all mammals. Distinctive to cats is the absence of response to sweets,
and cats avoid foods that taste sweet. The taste buds of cats are located
along the front and side edges of their tongues. Their vomeronasal organ,
also known as Jacobson's organ, is a saclike structure located in
the roof of the mouth. This organ is believed to be involved in sensing
chemical messages associated with sexual activity. When a male cat smells
a female's urine, he may wrinkle his nose and curl back his upper
lip in a gesture known as flehmening. He also will raise his head and bare
his teeth.

Cats have the ability to hear high-frequency sounds that humans are unable
to hear. This ability is particularly helpful when cats are stalking prey
such as mice, since the cats can detect the high-frequency sounds
emitted by these rodents. The external ears of cats are flexible and can
turn as much as 180 degrees to locate sounds precisely.

A cat's whiskers have a sensory function, helping it avoid objects
in its path in the dimmest light. If a cat passes an object that touches
its whiskers, it will blink, thus protecting its eyes from possible
injury. Besides the long cheek whiskers, cats have thicker whiskers above
their eyes. Cats use their nose to determine the temperature, as well as
the smell, of food. The hairless paw pads of cats are an important source
of tactile (touch) information gained from investigating objects with
their paws.

Behavior

In the wild, most forest-living members of the cat family tend to be
solitary hunters. Some species of cats live in pairs, while others, such
as lions, live in family groups. Cats engage in daily grooming, which not
only keeps their fur in good condition, but also helps them regulate their
body temperature and keeps their coat waterproof.

Cats need a great deal of sleep, which is consistent with the large
amounts of energy they expend during their hunting periods. They sleep
onand-off almost two-thirds of the day. Because of a slight fall in their
body temperatures when they sleep, they look for warm, sunny spots for
dozing.

Words to Know

Digitigrade posture:
A manner of walking on the toes, as cats and dogs do, as opposed to
walking on the ball of the feet, as humans do.

Flehmening:
A gesture of cats that involves curling the lips upwards, baring the
teeth, wrinkling the nose, and raising the head.

Righting reflex:
The ability of a cat to land on all fours after a fall.

Vomeronasal organ:
A pouchlike structure on the roof of a cat's mouth whose purpose
is probably related to sexual behavior in cats.

Cats are excellent climbers, great jumpers, and have remarkable balance.
Except for the cheetah, cats have retractable claws that are curved,
sharp, and sheathed. The claws are particularly useful to cats when
climbing trees. The bones of their feet (like those of dogs) are arranged
in a digitigrade posture, meaning that only their toes make contact with
the
ground, which increases their speed of running. Cats have the remarkable
ability—called the righting reflex—to right themselves
during a fall. The righting reflex causes first a cat's head, then
the rest of its body, to turn toward the ground as it falls. Thus, the cat
lands on all four feet.

Cats follow a well-defined hunting sequence that begins with the sighting
or smelling of prey. The hunting skills that cats display are in some
aspects instinctual and in others learned. Cats begin learning how to hunt
through the play they engage in when they are young. Mother cats are
involved in teaching hunting skills to their young, first by bringing back
dead prey, later by bringing back immobilized (injured) prey, allowing
young cats to kill the prey themselves. Still later, the mother cat will
take the young cat on a stalking and killing mission so that it learns how
to successfully hunt. Cats that do not have the opportunity to learn to
hunt from their mothers do not become good hunters.

Cats are territorial, marking their territory by spraying the boundaries
with urine. Cats also scratch and rub against fixed objects to mark their
territory. Within a male territorial boundary, there may be several female
territories. During mating, the male seeks out or is lured to nearby
females that are ready to breed. Females may vocalize loudly when they are
ready to mate, thus attracting males. Frequent scenting and rubbing
against trees also help the male cat know the female is ready to mate. In
cats, frequent sexual contact is important to insure successful ovulation
(production of egg cells), which is brought on during sexual intercourse.

The gestation (pregnancy) period in cats depends upon their body size.
Domestic cats have a gestation period of about 60 days, and an average
litter size of about four kittens. In the wild, gestation ranges from
slightly less than 60 days for the smaller species of cats to about 115
days for large cats, such as lions. The number in the litter varies from
one to seven; the body size of the cat does not seem to be the factor that
determines litter size. It may have more to do with the availability of
food and the survival rate in the area the cat inhabits. With the
exception of lions, the care and training of the young are left to the
mother. Nursing continues until the cubs or kittens are gradually weaned
and learn to eat meat.

Species of big cats

There are eight species of big cats, including the lion, tiger, leopard,
cheetah, jaguar, snow leopard, clouded leopard, and cougar. The onza is a
possible undescribed species or subspecies from Mexico that resembles the
cougar and has been seen only rarely. Sightings of the onza go back to the
time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521. The first
specimen of this cat was collected only in 1986 by a Mexican rancher, who
shot what he thought was a puma (mountain lion).

The lion.
Lions were once distributed over much of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today,
lions are found only in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Gir Forest, a
wildlife sanctuary in India. Lions prefer open grasslands to forest, but
also are found in the Kalahari Desert. Adult male lions weigh between 300
and 500 pounds (135 and 225 kilograms), while the female weighs about 300
pounds (135 kilograms). Lions are a light tawny color with black markings
on the abdomen, legs, ears, and mane. Lions live up to 15 years, reaching
sexual maturity in their third year. Male lions have been observed to kill
cubs that they have not fathered.

Lions are the most social of the cats, living in family groups called
prides, consisting of four to twelve related adult females, their young,
and one to six adult males. The size of the pride usually reflects the
amount of available food. Where prey is abundant, lion prides tend to be
larger, making them better able to protect their kills from hyenas and
other scavengers. Most lion kills are made by the females. Males defend
the pride's territory, which may range from 8 square miles (20
square kilometers) to more than 150 square miles (400 square kilometers).

The tiger.
The tiger is the largest member of the cat family, with males weighing
from 400 to 600 pounds (180 to 275 kilograms) and females from 300 to 350
pounds (135 to 160 kilograms). Tigers range from a pale yellow to a
reddish-orange color (depending on habitat), with characteristic vertical
stripes. Tigers live in habitats with a dense vegetation cover, commonly
forests and swamps in India, Southeast Asia, China, and Indonesia. A
century ago, tigers inhabited areas as far north as Siberia, all of India
and Southeast Asia, and regions along the eastern part of China. Today,
all eight subspecies of tigers are endangered.

The tiger lives a solitary life and systematically protects its territory
by marking its boundaries with urine, feces, glandular secretions, and
scrape marks on trees. Tigers are solitary nocturnal (night-time) hunters,
approaching their prey stealthily in a semicrouching position. When close
enough, the tiger makes a sudden rush for the prey, attacking from the
side or the rear. The prey is seized by the shoulder or neck with the
tiger's front paws and jaws, while keeping its hind feet on the
ground. The tiger applies a throat bite that usually suffocates its
victim, which it carries into cover and consumes.

The leopard.
Male leopards weigh about 200 pounds (90 kilograms), with females
weighing about half that amount. Leopards are found in sub-Saharan
Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Some small populations of leopards are
still found in Arabia and North Africa. Leopards have a distinctive
coloring, black spots over a pale brown coat. Their habitats include rain
forests, dry savanna grasslands, and cold mountainous areas.

Leopards feed on a variety of small prey, usually hunting at night by
ambush. Leopards use trees as resting places and frequently drag their
catches up into trees to eat them. The number of leopards is declining
worldwide due to hunting and habitat destruction from human population
pressures.

The cheetah.
Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land, reaching speeds of up to 70
miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour). Over short distances, a cheetah
can outrun any other animal. Cheetahs resemble leopards in that they have
a black-spotted pattern over a tawny coat, but are distinguished by large
black "tear" stripes under their eyes, a long, lithe body,
and a relatively small head. Cheetahs are the only members of the cat
family that do not have retractable claws. Cheetahs are solitary hunters,
feeding on gazelles and impalas. They hunt mainly in the morning and early
afternoon, when other large cats are usually sleeping, thereby enabling
them to share hunting areas with other carnivores. Cheetahs are found in
north and east Africa and along the eastern regions of southern Africa, as
well as in selected areas of the Middle East and southern Asia. There is

A Siberian tiger.
(Reproduced by permission of

Field Mark Publications

.)

a considerable trade in cheetah skins, and hunting, together with the loss
of habitat, threatens their survival in the wild.

Other big cats.
Among other large cats are the jaguar, the snow leopard, and the clouded
leopard. These three cats inhabit a forest wilderness, and all are
solitary and nocturnal. Jaguars are found in Central and South America,
while the snow leopard is found in Central Asia, and the clouded leopard
in Southeast Asia. The average weight of the jaguar is about 125 pounds
(55 kilograms). The snow leopard is found in the Himalayas at elevations
from 9,000 feet (2,750 meters) to nearly 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). The
clouded leopard and the snow leopard have a rigid hyoid bone in their
throats which prevents them from roaring. The black panther is a black
form of the jaguar. Its spots are visible within its black coat. The
cougar, also known as the puma or mountain lion, is about the size of a
leopard and ranges from western Canada to Argentina. The cougar is found
in mountains, plains, deserts, and forests, and preys on deer and other
medium-sized herbivores (plant eaters).

The small wild cats

The small wild cats, such as the lynx and the bobcat, are considered to be
the ancestors of the domestic cat. They are native to most areas of

A Canadian lynx.
(Reproduced by permission of

The Stock Market

.)

the world, except Australia and Antarctica. Other features small wild cats
share with domestic cats include the inability to roar, retractable claws,
and a hairless strip along the front of their noses. Small wild cats
include the European wild cat; the African wild cat; the sand cat, of the
Sahara; the African tiger cat, of tropical forests; the golden cat; and
Pallas' cat, of central Asia.

Asian medium-sized cats include the African serval and the caracal or
desert lynx of the Sahara. Medium-sized cats of the Americas include the
ocelot of South and Central America and the jaguarundi.

The wildcat or bobcat of North America is colored to blend in with the
rocky, densely vegetated background of its habitat. Bobcats rely more on
hearing than on sight to catch their prey, and the tufts on their ears are
thought to improve their hearing. The lynx lives in cold climates and has
long legs, to make trekking through deep snow easier, and foot pads
covered with fur, to protect them while walking in snow. The Canada lynx
differs from the common lynx in that it is larger, has longer hair, and
does not have a spotted coat.

The other 26 species of small wild cats live mainly in forests and feed on
small prey, such as rodents, hares, lizards, small deer, fish, snakes,
squirrels, insects, and birds. Most species have a spotted or striped coat
and usually have a rounded head. Small wild cats are either solitary or
form groups, depending on the abundance of the food supply. Some species,
such as the ocelot, are hunted for their spotted skin and are in danger of
becoming extinct.

Domestic cats

The breeding of domestic cats involves basic principles of heredity, with
consideration of dominant and recessive (suppressed) traits. It was in
England that cat breeding first became serious enough that so-called
"purebred" cats were displayed at cat shows. In England a
system of authenticating a cat's genetic lineage was also begun by
issuing a pedigree certificate. Special associations were established to
regulate the cat pedigrees and to sponsor the cat shows.

Cat breeds can be categorized as either long-haired breeds or short-haired
breeds. Within each group, head and ear shape and size, body formation,
hair color and length, eye color and shape, and special markings like
stripes and color variations on the feet, tail, face, and neck distinguish
the breeds from one another.

More than 100 different breeds of cats are recognized around the world,
subdivided into five broad groups. One group includes Persian
longhairs; another, the rest of the long-haired cats; a third, the
British short-haired cats; a fourth, the American short-haired cats; and a
fifth, the Oriental short-haired cats.

The Persian cat, highly prized among cat fanciers, has a round body, face,
eyes, and head with a short nose and legs. Its fur is long and woolly, and
its tail is fluffy and bushy. Persians vary from black to white, cream,
blue, red, blue-cream, cameo, tortoiseshell, smoke, silver, tabby, calico,
pewter, chocolate, and lilac. Other popular long-haired cats include the
Balinese, the ragdoll, the Turkish angora, and the Maine coon cat. Among
the short-haired cats, the Manx, British shorthair, American short-hair,
Abyssinian, Burmese, and Siamese are popular. One breed is hairless: the
sphynx, bred from a mutant kitten in 1966, does not even have whiskers.

The domestic cat is rivaled only by the dog as a household pet, and in
recent years has outnumbered the dog as an urban pet. Cats are more
self-sufficient than dogs in that they self-groom, need little if any
training to use the litter box, and don't have to be walked. Cats
are generally quiet and aloof, but will display affection to their owners.
They have the reputation of being fussy eaters, but will usually adapt
quickly to a particular brand of cat food.

Hi my name is Amy & I draw animals realistically and your site has giving me some great information. I have recently found out that cats mouths have a gap between their canines & incisors. This gap varies by species. Could you explain the differences in these gaps like from tiger to lion to bobcat for example? Any help would be welcomed! Thank you very much!

very nice information, but it still does not answer my life long question: why are domestic cat's eyes so very different from large (& small, wild) cat's eyes/pupils; slited like a snake as compared to round like our's? if anyone has any idea, i would sure like to hear it - thanks, deb